K&L Gates Ranked No. 1 in New ‘Recession Performance Index’

K&L Gates gets first place in a new ranking of how law firms have fared during the recession.

The American Lawyer’s “Recession Performance Index” analyzed the “compound annual growth rate” for the world’s top law firms, according to a press release. The measure is based on growth in revenue, lawyer headcount, profits per partner, and revenue per lawyer from 2007 to 2009.

The new index is part of an American Lawyer feature package on the world’s 100 top-grossing law firms. Three American firms made the top five on the gross-revenue list. They are: Baker & McKenzie (No. 1); Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (No. 2); and Latham & Watkins (No. 5).